How are you feeling today? Cross, less cross, hardly cross at all? The very lucky among you might even - whisper it - feel quite happy. But not as happy as the happiest office workers in the UK - Gemini women lawyers, working in Bristol for a female boss, who drive to work, don't have to wear a suit, and have been in their jobs for less than five years.

This quite, erm, specific research, courtesy of recruitment consultancy Badenoch and Clark, would seem to rule out pretty much everyone in the UK (which might explain our national trait of grumpiness). But we've tracked down a few lucky women who fit the bill - question is, are they really the UK's happiest workers?

Helen Faulkner, 39, is an insurance litigation lawyer for Beachcroft. She has been living in Bristol for 12 years and drives to work, dropping off her three children aged 10, eight and six at school on the way. The dress code in Helen's office is smart casual and her star sign is Gemini.

"I don't follow star signs but someone was telling me recently that Geminis are the least likely to become lawyers," says Faulkner. "I am a partner at Beachcroft so I don't have a woman boss because I am the boss, but I do have a team of mainly women. Although we're a national firm we're strong in Bristol and we're known for being quite a relaxed environment. We don't have to wear suits and even when clients come down they don't tend to wear suits."

Emma Grew, 27, a construction lawyer at Clarke Willmott, also enjoys her work: "I am very happy and I think that is probably down to the fact that I do a job that I really enjoy and every day is different and is a challenge." She also attributes the fact that lawyers come out on top to the money they earn: "Doing the kind of job I do you get paid well, which means I can make the most of my free time. I can travel where I want to travel and have the time off to do that, and buy an expensive camera and take lots of photos, which is something I like doing."

But it's not just the money that makes Grew happy: "I hadn't had a female boss previously - I now do and I find that works really well. We get on very well and have a lot of things in common. Also Bristol is the ideal place to work because it's big enough to have decent-sized law firms. I live on the outskirts of Bristol, which means I wake up in the morning and can see the hills and it's all green, yet I can get into the centre for work."

Where we live has a big impact on how happy we feel, says Rasheed Ogunlaru, a business coach and motivational speaker. "Bristol is a beautiful part of the world so people there feel quite relaxed in terms of their living environment, which is one of the most fundamental factors in happiness. Driving to work somewhere like Bristol is likely to be a comfortable journey. One thing people do find particularly stressful is being in very heavy traffic or when they are on public transport crammed in with many others."

Which is one component of the happiest worker equation fixed. But what about the rest of it. Like your star sign, for instance? "The stereotype of Geminis is that they are good communicators. If they believe in this, it's likely to become true so it's no surprise they will get on with people in the workplace and not get involved in conflicts," Ogunlaru says.

"People also tend to be more relaxed when they are in comfortable clothing, and as for being in the job for less than five years making you happier, well that means they are probably not feeling stuck or stagnated and tend to feel they are still learning and developing. It's interesting that it's lawyers that are supposed to be the happiest as it's one of the professions that is quite stressful, but perhaps the rest of the attributes make up for that."

Helen Staines, a litigation lawyer, is a Libra - but otherwise fits the profile of a happy worker perfectly. "I'm very happy, mostly because my work is so varied," she says. "Every day is exciting and different. I get to work with really bright, buzzy people and have some fascinating clients."

Being able to leave the office on time is another major plus, says Amanda French, who works in property for Bond Pearce.

"We've got a great work-life balance," she says. "My partner works in the centre of Bristol so we drive to work together. On the days he doesn't come in, I bike in and there's none of the hassle of the commuter treadmill. There's a great ethos in the office, and we leave the office at a really good time - there's no clock-watching, the days pass really quickly."

But what about those who are rather less content? According to Badenoch and Clark, if you're really unhappy at work, you are most likely to be a male IT and telecoms specialist, working for a male boss and living in Manchester. Ogunlaru has a bit of advice: "Ask yourself what are the things that really are important to you in life and then ask 'does my current job match that?' You find the people who tend to be happiest are the people who are pursuing what their heart actually desires. We might not all be able to move to Bristol but there may be simple learning points like what environment is good for you. It may be as small as wanting a desk facing the window, or maybe you want a job that involves being outdoors."